This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
It was a pretty busy weekend for the NHL, but that leaves us with a light Monday. There are only three games on the schedule in the league, with the first starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. Looking to get the work week going on a high note? Here are my lineup recommendations to try and bring you some DFS success.
SLATE PREVIEW
Monday's schedule is brief but straightforward. No team is on the second leg of a back-to-back, which is not a surprise given that eight of the 10 teams that played Sunday were in such a scenario. Florida and Philly both play Tuesday as well, but neither of them has a goaltending situation at present wherein the choice they make for Monday will make much of a difference. Calgary, though, does offer a difference between Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar. Speaking of the Flames and their netminders…
GOALIE
Dustin Wolf, CGY at CHI ($7,800): Wolf has impressed in his "rookie season" (his 18 appearances before this did not rob him of his rookie eligibility) by posting a 2.53 GAA and .916 save percentage. The Blackhawks have managed 2.56 goals per contest, which is poor, but their 25.1 shots on net per game are even worse. As such, the Flames may go with Vladar and save Wolf for the Blues on Tuesday. If that happens, I would still roster Vladar given the matchup.
VALUE PLAY/ONE-OFF
Anton Lundell, FLA at PHI ($4,600): Lundell has a point in five of his last six games. He's also put 24 shots on net over his last 11 outings. Though the Flyers haven't allowed a ton of shots, due to woeful netminding, they have a 3.47 GAA – the third-highest in the NHL.
FORWARD LINE STACK TO CONSIDER
Flames at Blackhawks
Mikael Backlund (C - $4,300), Blake Coleman (W - $4,500), Matthew Coronato (W - $4,100)
Surprisingly, Chicago has a top-10 penalty kill, but that's about the only positive you can find for the team. They have allowed 30.3 shots on net per game, which ranks in the bottom five in the league. Even though Arvid Soderblom played well to start the year, the Blackhawks have a 3.42 GAA, which is also in the bottom five in the NHL. Over the last four seasons, Petr Mrazek has a 3.28 GAA and .899 save percentage, and his save percentage is down to .895 this year. Calgary's second line is not power-play dependent, putting it in a good spot for this matchup.
Backlund has six points over his last 11 games. He's also put 110 shots on net through 41 contests. Now, the Swede has an established track record of putting a lot of shots on goal with low shooting percentages, so his puck luck hasn't been bad per se. However, shots on target are helpful, especially in a matchup like this. Coleman has 10 points in his last 12 contests. That's with a 12.9 percent shooting rate in that time, which is still below his 15.7 percent shooting rate last year. Also, of the 73 goals he's scored with the Flames, only five have come on the power play. With a much larger role than the one he had last year, Coronato has taken a significant step forward. Over his last 15 outings, he has 12 points and 43 shots on net. He is the one of these three who has been doing a lot of his work on the power play, but that doesn't deter me from this Monday stack.
DEFENSEMAN
Nate Schmidt, FLA at PHI ($2,500): It has been announced that Aaron Ekblad will miss the next two games for the Panthers. In Florida's last game, with Ekblad out of action, Schmidt played 22:35, including 4:03 with the extra man. That's a major increase in his role and makes Schmidt look much better at his salary. The Flyers have a 3.47 GAA, as noted, but they also have a penalty kill that is just below average.
